Intro to Cricket

[Moe_Syzlak]

Wow, you expect your openers, and the entire middle order to average 50 or above? Quite an ask. .

Considering exactly four players average 55+ right now (Ponting, Dravid, Kallis, Yousuf).

And Hussey if you want to put him there already. And [arguably] the two best players don't. Lara hasn't for a while, and Tendulkar dropped below recently.

When you say "average", is this runs on an ODI?

 

[silentstriker]

When you say "average", is this runs on an ODI?

Test or an ODI. The average of 55 refers to Tests though (ODI averages tend to be lower). Average is basically runs scored per innings (runs scored/innings completed). So if you score: 5, 5, 5*, your average is 7.5.

 

[LA ICE-E]

And some of us are quite elitist and believe that there is only one form of cricket.

but most disagree with that...well my analogy of the forms are like this- football/test = original rugby/odi= generated from original to fill peoples desires and is still important(in case of rugby the desire to be able to pick up the ball with hands,for odi its desire to see a game in one-day) and then there's rugby sevens/twenty20= fun little game not so important but exciting...

 

[nightprowler10]

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. I have given the link for this thread to some of my American friends at work and they understand cricket much better now.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Haha, what a fantastic thread. Can't believe I missed it until now.

 

[Craig]

You've got

International cricket (Tests/ODIs). Essentially fully professional, though West Indians and Zimbabweans may dispute that.

First class cricket (the one-day format is known as List A by statisticians): played by sides representing a region (so 18 major counties in England: Surrey, Hampshire, Worcestershire etc., territories in Australia: New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, and provinces in South Africa, etc.). It's professional in England and Australia, and semi-professional in most other countries.

Club cricket: Third (and below) divisions, largely amateur for people who just want to play the game in a reasonably organised fashion. The top level of club cricket is usually pretty competitive, though, but leagues are local (there's 25 top level leagues in England, about 10 in Australia, since travel distances have to be kept down). There's the occasional professional player in these leagues as well.

States

You living in 1898?

 

[Craig]

Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread. I have given the link for this thread to some of my American friends at work and they understand cricket much better now.

Your welcome.

Well somebody has to do the converting, and it may as well be us.

 

[andyc]

9, 10 and 11 are usually pretty rubbish players who will either slog it around or block it out, it just depends on the player. The Nummber 9 will sometimes make a decent score, but all of these will average >15.

I don't think there's many number 11s going around that average over 15

 

[Matt79]

Most enjoyable thread in CC since... I don't know when

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

Most enjoyable thread in CC since... I don't know when

Wow!! I feel privileged to have been a part of it!. I have to say, you guys deserve the credit for such concise, explicit answers. Most times when a newbie asks a question, they are told, go read wikipedia (which in my opinion in not as cannon, 100% accurate as some mke it out to be). But here, it is evident, you guys truly love this sport and are concerned about spreading the word.

I have a question about yesterdays South Africa- Sri Lanka match. I was following it at work on one of the web sites. Computer animation aint the same as live, but hey it kept me entertained. I was using thesun.co.uk. If anyone has others, let me know. Any ways, yesterdays finish, with 2 (or 3) runs needed and down to the last wicket, how common is that? And what about parity in regards to THIS competition? Are these small teams improving, are the big teams playing poorly? I hope this question doesn't turn this thread way off topic.

 

[silentstriker]

This series seems to be much more open in terms of who can win it than some in the past. Smaller teams are improving, though you will find arguments regarding how much and whether its fast enough.

Nail biters are fairly common, though I wouldn't say they comprise the majority. Yesterday's was a bit of a fluke, as its not very often a bowler takes four wickets in four balls. That game became closer than it had any right to be, really.

 

[GIMH]

The best nailbiter...

 

[silentstriker]

Yup, nothing comes remotely close to the final session of a test match where two or more results are possible. Like someone said, its the culmination of five days of building tension and momentum.

 

[andyc]

Still hurting from that.

 

[Richard]

Rejoice.

 

[Stefano]

great backfoot play

Could you please give me some explanation to this? What does this involve?

------

Then, a question about run outs? If a fielder kicks the ball onto the stumps, is this a fair action or not?

 

[GIMH]

Then, a question about run outs? If a fielder kicks the ball onto the stumps, is this a fair action or not?

Yeah, it's out

 

[silentstriker]

Could you please give me some explanation to this? What does this involve?

Against quality opening bowling, you need backfoot play. Generally, you shift your weight on the back foot when the ball is short of length, and you can use backfoot defense or you can use shots like the hook or the pull if the ball is high enough. Basically, you can't really go forward to a ball that's at your throat. The bounce and pace of the new ball and and the need to play late makes back foot play essential for an opener.


An example of a back foot defense.
An example of a hook shot.

For contrast, here is a front foot shot:

An example of a front foot drive.

Notice the difference in weight and feet placement. Backfoot shots like the hook are dangerous (if you miss, it hits your throat or head) but generally are great to see and can piss of a bowler who is trying to intimidate you when bowling at the throat.

As a general guide, you go on the back foot for short length deliveries and on the front foot for the fuller length deliveries.

 

[Neil Pickup]

And your analogy is spot on! Many times I have argued with "non" football/ soccer fans who have said "make the goal bigger, get rid of offsides, you need more goals and no ties" so I can relate 100%.

On to strategy. I have been looking around, reading match reports, watching some youtube videos, and following this WC. This may be a bit naive, but why don't you place a strong (not THE strongest, but a strong) batman towards the end of the line ups an anchor, especially if you bat second? It would seem to me that at that stage of the game you need someone who can a) avoid the out (if you cannot make the runs and want to draw) b) get the runs you might desperately need c) take advantage of weaker/ tired bowlers. What is "standard text book" strategy for the lineup?

Just to pick something up on this - you don't have draws in limited-over matches: they only apply in time games.

There's usually a role in ODI sides for a "finisher" - someone who bats at six or seven and is highly skilled at timing a run chase and protecting weak batsmen. Michael Bevan is the all-time number one "finisher".

 

[Hoppy1987]

How about this?

"You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game."

this is f**king brilliant!!

haha made me chuckle